Brilliant's Mod Thread

[Brilliant]

Photobucket and Flikr policy changes have broken many links. I have moved items to Google photos and I am slowly rebuilding this thread.

Since I've rebuilt this thread several times, somethings are out of order.



After years of looking at 3rd gens, I finally bought one. A Desert Dune 99 limited with the locker. This is my first Toyota, and first 4wd. I've wanted one for years so I am pretty excited to own it. I lasted 1 day before I started modifying it. I'll be using this mostly for my outdoor activities, and won't be on anything more than bad forest roads. So on road, off pavement type stuff.

As it sits now (@ Oregon Dunes).

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OE
1999 Limited Desert Dune w/ rear elocker

MODIFICATIONS

Drive Train

• ARB Front Locker

Exterior:

• Removed limited cladding, replaced with sport flares, painted front and rear bumpers
• 98 front end on my 99
• Sport Hood
• Satoshi Grill
• Painted Rear Hatch
• Surf hatch, tire carrier, and small spoiler
• Blacked out emblems

Interior:

• Limited woodgrain panels painted black
  
• 1$ ebay LED light panels
  
• LED dash light replacement & door switches
• 4 slot switch panel in 99 console
• Single DIN OE switch panel
  
  fixed
• 2 slot OE switch in dash bezel lower left cubby hole & 2 slot diff switches
• 2002 Limited homelink visors
• Carpet replaced and sound deadening added
• Hilux Surf Field monitor
  /fixed

Lighting:

• 
  fixed
• Dual Element HID Projector and Halogen headlights
• Hella micro DE fogs in 98 valance with Hella yellow fog bulbs
• Hella Micro DE Xenon Premiums
• Red LED dash lights
• Hella 500s lights with HID retrofit [/s]
• 01-02 taillights
• Rigid RM2 wide backup lights
• Hatch Light
• 3k HIDs in Hella DE
  /fixed
  
• silver coated amber stealth bulbs in markers & signals
• clear bumper lenses & OEM Japan clear corners
• feebay $95 36" combo lightbar

Electrical/Instrumentation

• Diehard Platnum Group 31M battery
• Dual battery, PC680 backup starter
• Bussman relay box
  
  
• Inverter
• Aeroforce Interceptor Round Scan Guage
• DC Power 180A Alternator
  
  
  
• PLX A/F and boost sensors
• Kenwood KDC-248U HU installation
• ebay a/c unit repair
• Rear Fridge Power Ports

Comms

• CB Radio w/ FM splitter in factory antenna spot
• ICOM ham radio

Suspension

• Addico front and rear sways w/polys
• ES poly steering rack bushings
• Toytec adjustable bar
• 4x4 FJ Cruiser coils
  
  
• ICON ET coilovers w/ remote reservoirs
• Jounce front bumps from Danahoe Racing
• Camburg UCAs
• ICON with 2.5 ET RR w/ CDC valve rears
• Jounce rear bumps from Specialty Performance Products
  
  
• Total Chaos rear link set

Performance:

• Airraid ISR
• TRD ATF cooler & Cyberdyne gauge (removed)
  
• Tundra brakes (231mm, centric sport stop rotors, centric posiquite pads, and stainless lines)
  
• Tundra red powder coated calipers
• TRD Exhaust
• URD 7th Injector
• TRD 2nd Gen Supercharger
  
  
• Doug Thorley Headers
  
  
• URD 2.2 Pulley

Wheels/Tires:

• 17" FJ cruiser wheels, /fixed painted satin black
• 255/80R17 Cooper STMAXX
• spiderax 1.25 spacers

Armor/Recovery

• Hidden Winch, Warn M8000 winch behind 98 bumper, Factor55 thimble
• Shackle mounts made by member legokcen
• Full Budbuilt skids lightweight skids
• Stubbs HD SKO Sliders
• Perforated steel filler added to Stubbs sliders
• Lotus development skids
  Shrockworks lightweight gas skid
• Big Sky elocker guard
• Factor55 rear hitch recovery point

Misc

• 
  fixed
• Viair Compressor
• Fire Extinguisher under Seat
• extended roof rails
• FIAMM El' Grande horns
  /fixed
  
• Diff breather
• Aux fuel tank placeholder
• Custom Whitson rack (SOLD)
• Tinted fronts and Wade in channel rain guards
• 

Misc Camping Things

• Waeco Fridge
• Kitchen box
• Aluminum sleeping platform/secure box

Stuff I need to install/finish installing

• Surf tire carrier
• Surf fender lights

Misc Shots of my 4runner


Drive through tree

WABDR

 

[t4r4life]

you just bought the best edition of a 3rd gen, congrats, and nice mods too

 

[t4r4life]

btw if you are going to spend more than 100 bucks on a used bumper i would suggest you to get a offroad tube bumper, they offer way more protection and functionality, thats only if you are a wheeler

 

[BrianSD_42]

Nice job with the dash!

(Also props for the humble choice in a user name)

Mileage?

BTW, I clicked to see picks of your BMW but there are no pics.

:bat:

 

[BrianSD_42]

haha well I was just trying to be funny.

your BMW sounds pretty awesome to compliment the 4Runner. I used to have a 325is and have always wanted an M3.

good luck with the 4Runner build.

 

[econhonda]

Nice work on the dash. One of these days I may do the same thing.

 

[Hepar]

Coming along real nicely.

 

[Dezert4Runner]

I'm intrigued by your choice of aux lighting. I'd have a defiant light bar or baja style tube bumper with 3 Hella 700FF's if I had the cash laying around too, and I was considering the Hella 450's also in addition to my pair of Hella 700's. Where exactly are you planning on mounting the Hella 450's?

Have you seen if those light switches are very bright? That would be my one gripe about the OEM fog switch...

Nice build thread so far, and I look forward to seeing it progress :hungry:

 

[zacattack20]

I was looking at your pictures and I was curious what that bubble is on your tachometer?

 

[zacattack20]

bubble? You mean what bulb is the tach illumination bulb? If you take out the cluster its pretty straightforward. Pull out the cluster and look at the basckside. The tach light on sits about mid cluster. Its all by itself, cant be missed. They are T6.5 wedges aka Type 24. I used the lense covered superstars. 3 LED ones were too loose to fit.

No in the pictures it looks like there is a fairly large bubble on the guage face of your tach. On the left side of the needle.

 

[zacattack20]

 

[Brilliant]

Mod: Replace fat lip bumper with 96-98 bumper

Steps:

• 98 bumper, valance, and 98 bumper supports, and bumper flares
• RR 99 bumper with 98 bumper with 98 supports

You cannot reuse the fatlip valance with the 96-98 bumper, the bumper metal is thinner than the 96-98 bumper

Installed

I did some misc maintenance items today, all gearboxes with Castrol synthetic, fuel filter, and lubing the drive shaft.

I also installed the el grande horns. The horns go in super easy, clip the drivers side connector off the drivers side, find the one hot wire (hot when horn depressed), and make a Y to both horns. Note the other wire on the drivers side runs over to the other horn so you could use this too. The horns are grounded by the back mounting bracket, similar to the OEM horns. I didn't use the relay or any of that mess.

No more moped horn!

 

[blcktpgsr]

Those Micro de's turned out awesome..it's very gratifying to know that some of the mods I do actually inspire other members and apply it to their rigs.

Thanks, and a well built 4runner as well.

 

[Brilliant]

Objective: Install Hella Micro DE lights in valance, replicate look from [MENTION=46329]blcktpgsr[/MENTION]

Process:

• Take off front 96-98 bumper
• Measure diameter of lights, obtain holesaw of desired diameter
• Cut paper template of the diameter of lights, make legs to position left right top bottom
• Lay paper template on bumper, mark center
• Flip template over, repeat on other side
• Drill hole, debur with razor
• Drill slotted hole in bumper support for adjustability
• Build a washer stack / spacer (JB weld a flat bar and use spacers)
• Notch bumper brackets to clear lights

Paper template

Light positioned with washer stack

Lights installed

Those Micro de's turned out awesome. It's very gratifying to know that some of the mods I do actually inspire other members and apply it to their rigs.

Thanks, and a well built 4runner as well.

yea, man. Your idea was exactly what I was looking for.

 

[blcktpgsr]

:guitar3::guitar3::guitar3:I think it was actually Performance Products who sported that lower valance lighting design for the 96-98 model, but they've been paced out and nowhere to be found....so I kinda mimicked the idea.

 

[fightman80]

Looks good man! Did you fab up pods for your lower valance lights?? Mine looks the same as yours from far, but I added pods to make it look more OEM. I love the fact that you used OEM switches.....that's one thing I didn't do....still running the chromed toggle switch on the dash..... lol!

 

[Brilliant]

These have since been removed but its useful for OE switch info for a set of lights

Mod Purpose: Add additional lights for driving in the dark, something cheap that works

Steps:
Hella 500FF and HID kit
Factory switches, plugs, and inserts
Wire up the lights to a relay, use a terminal crimper for inserts
Use heat gun to dome the Hella 500FF to fit the bulbs
Find existing holes in underside of bumper
Cut out valance to enable hellas to sit flat/recessed

Crimper I use for all my Toyota and BMW harness repair and Deutsch terminals

Switch diagram

OEM plug and harness

OEM style Switch

Installed

Looks good man! Did you fab up pods for your lower valance lights?? Mine looks the same as yours from far, but I added pods to make it look more OEM. I love the fact that you used OEM switches.....that's one thing I didn't do....still running the chromed toggle switch on the dash..... lol!

thanks - I didnt do the pods like you did on the 500s but I have seen your setup before and I am considering it. =} I took out the minimum material so the light backshell is right up against the valance. I just kind threw them on there and called it good.

 

[BigFishAllDay]

The new deck looks pretty nice for $85! That Aeroforce scanguage is pretty interesting too. I've never seen one of those before. I read up on it (link for others interested > Aeroforce Technology Inc | Products - Interceptor)

It's got a lot of functionality to it. I would definitely have considered that in place of my SG2 if I'd have known it existed.

 

[BrianSD_42]

Pretty cool man. Can you post some more pics of the interceptor mounted.

Thanks.

 

[Brilliant]

Objective: Install OBD scanner gauge, keep it OEM+

Process:
Pick up Aeroforce interceptor gauge
Measure diameter of housing, but holesaw of same diameter
Using a holesaw, cut out center console around shifter

The analog input is shown there too. You get a pigtail (not shown) with the gauge, that connects to a PLX boost sensor

Pretty cool man. Can you post some more pics of the interceptor mounted.

Thanks.